O.C., California- Staffeln » TORONTO — Aaron Sanchez had wondered

if he would pitch again this season after he injured a finger on a suitcase in June.The wondering will be over Saturday afternoon when the right-hander takes the mound at the Rogers Centre to start the second game of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies (69-59).Sanchez (3-5 Bobby Doerr Jersey , 3.52 ERA) will face Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta (7-0, 4.66).Article continues below ...The Blue Jays (59-69) lead the season series 3-1 after winning two of three games in Philadelphia in May and taking the opener of the current series 4-2 on Friday night as Kendrys Morales homered for a career-best fifth game.Sanchez has not pitched since June 21 when he allowed two runs in one inning of an 8-5 loss in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. He could not continue because of what was described as a contusion of the right index finger.“Honestly, I didn’t feel I was going to make it back,” Sanchez said. “I mean, I’ve missed so much time the last few years. Just to be able to be back here, hopefully contribute these last weeks I have. I’m looking forward to it.”Last season, he was limited to 36 innings because of a blister on his right middle finger.This time, it was the right middle finger that he injured just before he was to start in Anaheim.“It got stuck up in my suitcase and I didn’t want to say it then because I saw (Kansas City Royals catcher) Salvador Perez go down with the same injury and I didn’t want to get laughed at,” Sanchez said. “And it’s probably none of your business how it happened.”The finger bent awkwardly in the luggage handle as the bag started to fall.He pitched the same day; the first time had pitched in California with his family in attendance.He has pitched in two rehabilitation start — one at Class A Dunedin and the other with Double-A New Hampshire.With New Hampshire on Monday, he allowed three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Fewer than half of his pitches were strikes (42 of 86), but he was deemed ready to start Saturday.“I don’t get attached to numbers in rehab starts http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-jimmie-foxx-jersey ,” Sanchez said. “I’m out there to make sure I’m working on what I need to work on. I’m throwing changeups and curveballs in counts I would never throw (them). I got 80 pitches to work on what I needed to work on.”Sanchez has pitched one perfect inning of relief in his career against the Phillies.Pivetta, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, has started once in his career against the Blue Jays. He took the loss May 27 when he allowed two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings.Despite the loss Friday, the Phillies remained three games out of first in the National League because the division-leading Atlanta Braves also lost.“We need to play better, and the Braves need not to play as well,” said Phillies starter Jake Arrieta, who took the loss Friday. “If those two things happen, we’ll be fine. There’s no need to panic, but we need to stay locked into the game.”The Phillies have lost five of their past six games. They are 28-37 on the road and are 5-13 in their past 18 away games.Phillies catcher Wilson Ramos returned to action Friday after missing three games with a sore left wrist and was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a pickoff at first base.The Blue Jays welcomed infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back to the lineup Friday. He was activated from the disabled list Johnny Pesky Jersey , where he had been since July 30 because of a sprained left ankle.He played shortstop and was 1-for-4 with one RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. His streak of 11 straight games with two or more hits ended, however.Infielder Richard Urena was returned to Triple-A Buffalo on option to clear roster space for Gurriel. John McCoy/Getty ImagesThe MLB offseason is underway, and free agency will begin in earnest on Saturday, Nov. 3 after the five-day exclusive negotiating period with free agents ends.With no salary cap in baseball, free agency doesn't move quite as quickly as it does in the NBA or NFL, but the rumor mill should kick into full swing as teams start reaching out to top free agents.In the meantime, ahead is a look at some of the notable rumors that have trickled out recently:Bryce Harper'Not Part of the Plan' for the YankeesDustin Bradford/Getty ImagesDespite years of speculation, it's sounding less and less like Bryce Harper will be wearing Yankees pinstripes.Andy Martinoof SNY.tv recently wrote: "As the Yankees wrapped their pro scouting meetings last week and determined a preliminary offseason strategy, a pursuit of free-agent outfielderBryce Harperwas not part of the plan, according to major league sources."It makes sense given the current roster makeup.Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks should return in the starting right field and center field spots, respectively.Giancarlo Stanton is also back http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-carl-yastrzemski-jersey , and while he spent the bulk of his time at DH in his first season with the Yankees, he's a solid defensive outfielder and could see more time with the glove in 2019.The Yankees also hold a $12.5 million club option on Brett Gardner, and even if it's declined, the team could look to re-sign its longest-tenured player at a lower price point.Jacoby Ellsbury is also still on the books, and a healthy Clint Frazier is capable of making an impact.Down on the farm, touted outfield prospect Estevan Florialfinished the 2018 season at High-A and could be in the majors by 2020, so not blocking his path could also be on the team's mind.If they were dead set on adding Harper, they could find a way to make him fit.That said, it makes perfect sense that the Yankees would be prioritizing other things, especially with a clear need to bolster the starting rotation.So where will Harper wind up?Nick Cafardo of theBoston Globenamed the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants as his three most likely landing spots earlier this month. Yankees also just 'lukewarm' on Manny MachadoSean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesSo if the Yankees aren't planning on making a serious push for Harper Ted Williams Jersey , that has to up their odds of signing Manny Machado, right?Maybe not.In another article on the team's offseason plans, Martino wrote: "But we are here to tell you that the baseball operations and scouting departments, which spent most of last week meeting to plot an offseason strategy, was not impressed by Machado's postseason antics, and are now "lukewarm" on pursuing the former Oriole and Dodger, according to major league sources."He added: "As the team watched this postseason, and weighed it against what they already feared about Machado鈥攖hat he didn't always run out ground balls, that opponents thought he was a dirty player hey became even more wary of committing to him for the better part of a decade."From a roster standpoint, Machado is also by no means an obvious fit.Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar both played well on the left side of the infield for the Yankees this season.Granted, Gregorius is a free agent after the 2019 season and Andujar might eventually need to move off the hot corner if his defense doesn't improve Jim Rice Jersey , but both players appear to have earned the starting spots going forward.If the market doesn't unfold as expected, the Yankees could still jump at the chance to get involved, but for now, Machado doesn't appear to be a priority.Instead, expect the Yankees to be in hot pursuit of top starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, as well as guys like Dallas Keuchel, J.A. Happ and Charlie Morton as they look to fill out the starting rotation behind Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka.Standout reliever David Robertson is also a free agent, which could be reason enough to pursue a late-inning relief arm. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted.